My Student’s Advice to Parents on Social Media

These days I rarely find it necessary to speak didactically to students about technology and social media; I simply ask them, and they’re usually more insightful than any adult I speak to. Here is one of my student’s advice for parents on their child’s use of social media:

First, I would say, if there’s an age limit and [your child] is under the age limit, you shouldn’t let them. And, if there’s privacy settings, you should use them properly and learn how. Also, if your child wants to use it, you should say yes and not be too… pushy and say no, because you’re gonna make them feel very different from their friends who are all on social media. They’ll just feel left out. But, at the same time, they should talk to their kids about what they should and shouldn’t be posting. So, nothing inappropriate. Like, if you wouldn’t want your parent to see it, they shouldn’t be posting it. Basically, talk to them about it, but respect their privacy and trust them.

Comments

Great post. I enjoyed reading this. I agree parents should encourage students to use technology because it is expanding more and more everyday. But the parents should still limit their children to how long and where the appropriate sites they can go to. Trusting your children is the most important.